Ben Wallace all but commits to returning to Detroit Pistons this season

AP File PhotoBen Wallace sounds ready to return for a 16th season after the Detroit Pistons first practice.

AUBURN HILLS -- Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace was the first one at the Pistons' practice facility when players were allowed back in the building last week, but he wasn't ready to commit to returning for a 16th season.

But after participating in the team's first organized practice since the end of the lockout, Wallace seemed ready to come off the fence.

"Oh no, I'm here," Wallace said. "I'm giving everything I got. At the end of the day, if that's good enough to play on this team, or if I have to sit on the sideline and be a great teammate, that's what I'm going to do."

Wallace was impressed with the way new coach Lawrence Frank handled his first practice with the Pistons.

"I think he did a great job. He commanded everybody's attention," Wallace said. "He came out and did what he had to do and I think everyone responded to him really well. He brought a lot of energy to the team and stepped up and took a leadership role."

Defense was the big focus on day one. Frank both started and ended the day working players on that end of the court. That's music to the ears of Wallace, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.

"To me, that's what basketball is all about," Wallace said. "It's tough to score, it's tough to run plays, when you're taking the ball out of bounds every trip. Getting stops allows you to get out on the break, get some quick buckets on the other end, and that's the way I like to play basketball."